| LIFE-NET NEWS |
| by Ret Z. |
| Covering Poverty Widely in a Net of Many Voices |
| July 9, 2008 | No Profit; No Proceeds |
| Volume 12 Number 5 | All-Volunteer |
| "Give a family a fish, and they'll eat a meal; give them a Net, and they'll have fish for Life." |
| New Africa Enviro-Atlas Exposes Extent of Degradation |
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Using "before and after" satellite photos taken in all the 53 countries of Africa, UN geographers have constructed an atlas of environmental change over the past four decades -- the vast majority of it for the worse. In nearly 400 pages of pictures, disappearing forests, shrinking lakes, vanishing glaciers, and degraded landscapes are brought together for the first time, providing a deeply disturbing
portfolio of devastation.
The atlas, compiled by the UN Environment Program at the request of African environment ministers, was launched simultaneously in Johannesburg and London on June 10. The photos, some of them spanning a 35-year period, offer striking views of environmental transformation in every country. The photos show vividly just how vast the changes have been, not only since the first Landsat satellite in 1972, but also on much shorter timescales. The compilers write of "the swell of grey-coloured cities over a once-green countryside; protected areas shrinking as farms encroach upon their boundaries; the tracks of road networks through forests; pollutants that drift over borders of neighbouring countries; the erosion of deltas; refugee settlements scattered across the continent causing further pressure on the environment; and shrinking mountain glaciers." Deforestation is shown not only as mass forest disappearance in countries such as Rwanda, but also as the insidious spread of logging roads through once entirely untouched rainforests in countries such as DR Congo, and the replacement of natural forest by bright green rubber and palm plantations in Cameroon. Urban spread is illustrated not only by the explosive expansion of the Senegalese capital Dakar from a small urban center to a peninsula-swallowing sprawl, but by the bloating of a small town like Bangassou, Central African Republic, to a size that has started to impinge on nearby forestland. Glacier melt is shown not only in the well-known case of Mt Kilimanjaro, but also in the glaciers of Uganda's Rwenzori mountains, which shrank by half between 1987 and 2003. To the well-known cases of the drying up of Lake Chad and falling water levels in Lake Victoria, the atlas adds new cases of disappearing water bodies like the drying up of Lake Faguibine in Mali. Put it all together and you have a picture that is hard to credit, so enormous is the destruction. Source: The Independent |
| US Soldiers Risk Ruin While Awaiting Benefit Checks |
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Nearly 20,000 disabled US soldiers were discharged in the past two fiscal years. Lawmakers, veterans' advocates, and others say thousands of those servicepeople could be facing financial ruin while they wait for their claims to be processed and their benefits to come through.
"The anecdotal evidence is depressing," said Rep John Hall (D-NY), who heads a subcommittee on veterans disability benefits. "These veterans are getting medical care, but their family is going through this huge readjustment at the same time they're dealing with financial difficulties." Most permanently disabled veterans qualify for payments from Social Security and the military or Veterans Affairs (VA). Those sums can amount to about two-thirds of their active-duty pay. But until those checks show up, most disabled veterans draw a reduced Army paycheck. The amount depends on the soldier's injuries, service time, and other factors. But a typical veteran and his family who once lived on $3,400 a month might have to make do with $970 a month. Unless a soldier has a personal fortune or was so severely injured as to require long-term inpatient care, that can be an extreme hardship. The Army, stung by the scandal last year over shoddy care at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, has been working to help soldiers during the in-between period, said Col Becky Baker, assigned to injured soldier transition at the US Surgeon General's Office. In a change in policy that took effect last August, the Army is allowing wounded soldiers to continue to draw their full Army paychecks for up to 90 days after discharge, Baker said. It is also sending more VA workers to Army posts to process claims more quickly, and it is trying to do a better job of informing soldiers of the available benefits and explaining the application process. She acknowledged, however, that the changes have been slow to take hold across an Army stretched by war. "It takes a while for new practices to be institutionalized." Typically, the first 100 days after discharge are spent just gathering medical and other evidence needed to make a decision on disability, VA officials say. If paperwork is incomplete, or a veteran moves to another state before the claim is decided, the process can drag on longer. Disagree with the VA's decision, and the wait time grows. "The claims are a lot more complicated than people think," said Ursula Henderson, director of the VA's regional office in Houston. Amy Palmer, a disabled veteran and vice president of Operation Homefront, which helps newly disabled service members, said, "Nobody's assigned to them. You're on your own once you get out." "A veteran goes and serves and does what the country asks them to do," the congressman said. "But when they come back they're made to jump through these hoops and to wait in line for disability benefits." Source: Associated Press |
| Hundreds of Students Homeless at Top University |
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The government of Australia is facing pressure to boost income support for tertiary students as Victoria's most
distinguished institution, Melbourne University, reveals that hundreds of its students are homeless due to rising living costs. The head of the government's higher education review, Denise Bradley, has signalled she will urge an overhaul of schemes such as Youth Allowance and
Austudy amid complaints that they are either too hard to qualify for, or insufficient to live on.
Bradley revealed the push as the vice chancellor of Melbourne University, Glyn Davis, said 440 students were in effect homeless, "hot-bedding" with relatives or friends because they could not afford their own residence. Painting a grim picture of student life, Davis said a recent analysis found the majority of students were studying part time, with many working more than 20 hours a week to cope with rising living costs. Vacancy rates within a four-kilometer radius of school were around 0.8%, making it even harder for students to get accommodation. Similar difficulties are being experienced elsewhere in the universities sector, placing the issue of student costs and support under renewed scrutiny. Australian Scholarship Group figures show, for example, that an average teaching student in a share house will face costs of almost $100,000 over the next four years, including an average $5,000 in accommodation costs a year, $5,000 in groceries, $1,600 in transport, and $5,000 in HECS tuition costs. Speaking at an education forum, Emeritus Professor Bradley said her report, to be handed down at the end of the year, was likely to recommend that the government improve student income support. But she conceded that "it would require a very brave government" to fix the bureaucratic maze of programs such as the Independent Youth Allowance that overlap a range of departments including education. University of Canberra vice chancellor Stephen Parker said restrictions on income support programs were "extremely short-sighted". Part of the problem with Youth Allowance, for instance, was the tight eligibility requirements: Students are not deemed to be "independent" -- and therefore eligible for support -- unless they are aged 25 or over, or have earned $18,525 after spending at least 18 months out of school. "The reality is it's really difficult living independently as a student and it's getting worse, particularly in the major capital cities," said Angus McFarland, president of the National Union of Students, which wants the age threshold to be reduced and the eligibility requirements relaxed. "It does lead to students missing class because of work commitments ... and means that students aren't getting their money's worth for their degrees." Source: The Age |
| Camden to Flatten Dozens of Crime-Riddled Houses |
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A crowd of more than 100 people cheered on June 27 as a backhoe tore into a rundown twin house well known to neighbors as a problem spot for drugs and prostitution on Camden's Marlton Ave. The house was the first of about 80 abandoned buildings owned by the city that will be demolished over the next several months, thanks to a joint effort by the city and the state Department of Community Affairs (DCA).
State Attorney General Anne Milgram said state and Camden police had identified the properties as sites of criminal activity. "Abandoned homes serve as magnets for illegal activity," said Milgram. "The goal of making Camden's streets safe demands that we use all available enforcement powers, whether they are law enforcement or code enforcement." "Demolishing these buildings is essential to the revitalization of Camden," said NJ Gov Jon Corzine. "Today, we are continuing our efforts to bring about meaningful change by taking a significant step to curtail violence and unlawful activity. While this project is about tearing down, New Jersey remains steadfast in building up Camden." Among others present at the event were DCA Commissioner Joseph Doria, Camden Mayor Gwendolyn Faison, State Sen Dana Redd (D-Camden), and City Council President Angel Fuentes. Neighborhood resident Raul Guadalupe attended the ceremony with his wife and young son. He said that neighbors frequently called police about illegal activity at the house and that he was glad to see it being torn down. "It's the best thing for Camden. I see the governor trying to better the future of Camden and trying to revitalize Camden." Later in the afternoon, Corzine and many of the same officials attended a ribbon cutting for a $20 million project led by Lutheran Social Ministries of NJ to rehabilitate 89 homes throughout North Camden. The homes, currently in default, are to be turned into affordable housing. Source: Philadelphia Inquirer |
| Angola's Assault on Cholera |
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Thousands of Angolan youngsters have fallen victim to cholera, spread by dirty water. Almost 40% of Angolans use water from an unsafe source, according to UNICEF, and
water-borne illnesses are a key cause of diarrhea, the second-highest cause of death among children under five in the country. Between January and the start of May this
year there were 7,740 cases of cholera recorded in Angola and 198 deaths -- that's more than a victim a day.
Boa Esperanca, on the outskirts of the country's capital Luanda, is home to tens of thousands of people living in breezeblock houses and metal shacks who all rely on water transported to communal tanks by government trucks. Local mother Ingracia Domingos, 47, makes five trips to the communal tank every day to fill up a 20-liter bucket which she then carries on her head back to her small home. Each load costs 30 kwanzas which means Ingracia spends around $2 a day on water, a serious strain on the household budget. That comes to $730 a year, more than some families pay in places like the UK. And the water Ingracia collects isn't necessarily clean: Dirty buckets are dipped directly into the communal water tank by people collecting their daily supply. While Boa Esperanca is unlikely to get running water any time soon, the Angolan government is pouring huge amounts of cash into community education programs and water treatment products. UNICEF-trained health agents make house calls to teach families how to purify their water with a chlorine product: Add one capful for 5 liters, two for 20, and then you leave the water for 30 minutes and it's ready to use. The chlorine solution and the health agents who distribute it are paid for by the local health authority -- some evidence that Angola's oil money is finally trickling down to those who need it. Unfortunately, the health message itself doesn't always make it to those who need to hear it. "Sometimes people get the bottles of solution from us and then pour it away so they can use the bottles to carry petrol to sell," said local health educator Mantondo Candi Matos. "Even if people don't do this, sometimes they are too lazy to clean the water, that's why we have to keep going back to tell them how important it is." Overall, though, there are a lot fewer cases of cholera, according to nurse Berta Florença. "Two years ago, there would be a lot of people, but now for instance we only have two people here getting treatment. Part of this is because it's now the dry season, and there is less dirty water lying around the streets, but I think more people are cleaning their water at home and that is making a difference. "I think Angola is finally winning the war against cholera." Source: Inter Press Service |
| More Households Self-Insufficient in Delaware County |
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Many middle-class Delaware County PA families with incomes well above the federal poverty level are struggling to
survive financially, according to a recent study contracted by Ridley Township-based PathWaysPA, a nonprofit organization that helps people become self-sufficient. Said PathWaysPA senior policy analyst Marianne Bellesorte, "We definitely do find from our research and many other researchers and advocacy organizations that the federal
poverty level is just not accurate for today's society."
Since 1997, PathWaysPA, which serves Delaware and Philadelphia counties, has obtained funding every two years to produce a Self-Sufficiency Standard for Pennsylvania. The latest standard, released on June 18, was funded by the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry and researched by Diana Pearce, a senior lecturer at the University of Washington School of Social Work in Seattle. Pearce utilized national verifiable data and customized it for each of the 67 counties between January and March. For example, Delaware County families with two children who use a car have to earn $61,593 a year to make ends meet, according to the new standard. And that's just a bare bones budget, noted Bellesorte. "We're not including a cable bill, a cell-phone bill. We're not including credit card payments or student loan payments or anything else someone might owe." The calculated standard allows for food, transportation, housing, and health care. The health costs are based on the assumption that an employer pays a percentage of the health-insurance premiums. Factored from about 10% of the basic costs in the budget is an allowance for such miscellaneous expenses as clothing and diapers. Said Bellesorte, "It really brings everything down to the absolute minimum of what a family needs." The standard allows for 70 different family types. The $61,593 figure provides for two adults, a preschool child, and a school-age child, and it allows for child care. In order to meet the standard, each adult needs to earn $14.58 an hour working full-time. "Below that income, people really have to struggle to make ends meet." The self-sufficiency standard for a similar family in 2006 was $47,296 a year, requiring each adult to earn $11.20 per hour working full-time. It only provided for public transportation, however, not the cost of gas. Allowing for fuel under that standard, two adults in a family of four would have each had to earn $13.85 an hour working full time. "I think the numbers we have are a very conservative estimate of what people need to make ends meet," said Bellesorte. "We see the cost of food and fuel rising and that's not fully reflected now because those costs are going up." She said that while food and fuel costs are of major concern, housing and child-care costs comprised the largest portions of the 2008 cost of sufficiency for a family of four. She said the findings of the research show the estimated federal poverty level, which qualifies families for government programs, is too low. The federal poverty level for such a family would be $21,200. "In 2005, 19% of working families in Delaware County were living below two times the poverty line and that's equivalent to about $40,000 for a family of four." Source: Delaware County Times |
| Entrepreneurial Vision Takes Shape in Bolivia |
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Even in Bolivia, with its widespread underemployment and its economy highly dependent on commodity exports, there are reasons to dream of a generation of new business people, who explore possibilities that branch out from the traditional commodity-based business opportunities,
according to Miguel Hoyos, general coordinator of the Red Bolivia Emprendedora (RBE).
The RBE will host a Global Entrepreneurship Week in Bolivia this November. On June 13, it gave a spectacular launch to five months of activities that will lead up to the Week, when young business leaders in some 60 countries will gather to engage and encourage young people around the world to pursue entrepreneurial initiatives, with the support of the business community, government officials, and civil society groups. The goal of the campaign is "to inspire young people to embrace innovation, imagination and creativity" and promote "a culture of entrepreneurship." In Latin America, that trend has already taken hold in countries like Colombia and Ecuador, with the promotion of more inclusive companies, infused with a greater sense of social responsibility, that are more respectful of the environment and more sensitive to the needs of society. In a videotaped message presented at the launch, Kauffman Foundation senior fellow Jonathan Ortmans said that all people, regardless of their social origins or situation, can turn a good idea into an economic activity that will help boost the country's development. University professor Gonzalo Chávez, an economic analyst, says, "If enterprises become productive initiatives aimed at generating employment and not only an income for the owners, we will see a veritable revolution in production." Potential growth areas are exports of llama meat, quinoa grain, wooden furniture, technology and services, he said. "Traditional business leaders cannot and should not try it, because they have the 'chip' of living comfortably off their wealth stuck in their heads. But young people today have another way of looking at things." Minister of Production and Microenterprise Javier Hurtado said the focus must be on innovation. "If we want to generate strong economic, social and environmental indicators, we definitely need a new concept of business person and entrepreneur." Hurtado was honored by the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship as the head of a socially responsible Bolivian agribusiness concern that boosts the incomes of indigenous people by buying their organic vegetables and grains and selling them on the local and international market. As a recognized social entrepreneur, Hurtado committed himself to supporting actions "that can contribute to the country based on this new business vision, generating value, employment, and decent living conditions." Source: Inter Press Service |
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| Next for Busy Girls: Build Houses |
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They are packing a pink hard hat, a pink hammer, and a pink tool belt. The Senior Troop #6038 of the Girl Scouts of Central and Southern New Jersey are going to build houses in style. Yes, they are going to have fun, too, hammering nails and lifting two-by-fours. Sam Gentes, Erin Farrell, Laura Trachtenberg, Emily Speiker, Julie Musulin, and Jamie Thurber are going to Taos NM from July 14 to 18 for a Habitat for Humanity project.
"Most people go on vacations to different places and to tourist attractions," Trachtenberg said laughing while recently sitting in the living room of her Marlton home, surrounded by her Girl Scout friends and the pink building gear. Kathy Trachtenberg and Karen Speiker, the mothers of Laura and Emily, have been the troop leaders since the girls started in Daisies. They nurtured them since the beginning to give back. "Last summer," said Speiker, "we did a trip to San Antonio. This time we wanted to do more community service." The troop collectively came up with the idea for Habitat. They are raising money from scratch. They have been busy fundraising. The intense effort is all worth it for them. Said Thurber, "We are going to help people." All the girls are ending their junior years at Cherokee High School. They're all active in varsity sports for the Chiefs, participating in track, volleyball, soccer, basketball. And all are involved in various clubs. So, it is not like they aren't busy. They are finding time to help. "We are pretty stoked," Farrell said. "I think it will be a really good experience to know we are helping someone else. Hopefully, we are able to transfer some of the skills we learn, too." "Community service is such a big part of our lives through Girl Scouts," Speiker said. Perhaps a coincidence or possibly because of their compassionate training in Girl Scouts, the girls are preparing for work fields to help people. Speiker hopes to go into special education. Thurber would like to be a school counselor. Farrell is looking at engineering or education. Trachtenberg wants to be a psychologist. Musulin is preparing for elementary or secondary education. Before they move on, however, they are taking on their most ambitious project for the Girl Scouts. "I hope the houses stand," Kathy Trachtenberg said laughing. "I hope they have a pool," Thurber said, semi-seriously. They will be working regular 9-to-5 days in the heat. They know it will be hot. "I'm excited to build homes," Musulin said, beginning to laugh, "and to wear the pink outfits." Source: Courier-Post |
| Sandanistas Kick Off 'Agro-Revolution' |
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Carlos Corea sits in his tiny, windowless office donning a bright pink Sandinista cap and talking in rapid "Spanglish" about how an agricultural revolution is taking place in Nicaragua's countryside. If Nicaragua plays its cards right, the impoverished countryside, where nearly a third of the economically active population works in agriculture, could benefit from rising global food prices, according to the Ortega government's plan.
With government plans to repair 2,500 kilometers of rural roads and finish clearing landmines from arable farm land, the Ortega administration hopes to cultivate an additional 1 million manzanas of idle farmland throughout the country. The Sandinistas have been on a crusade to provide 15,000 families a year with the basic tools to cultivate family farms as part of the "Hambre Cero" (Zero Hunger) program, and have made low-interest financing available for farmers. This year there is already more than $120 million in financing available for agricultural production -- which is more than three times what was available last year, according to Alvaro Fiallos, the director of the Rural Development Institute (IDR). An additional $4 million is being made available through Venezuelan financing, Ortega said. "These are the roots of the development bank we've all been asking for," Fiallos said. The National Assembly has already approved $35 million to form a Nicaraguan Development Bank to finance agricultural production, though the bank has yet to be created. The government has said increasing food production is a central part of its plan to fight inflation and rising food costs. But as the government strives to meet the goals of its so-called "agro-revolution," it is receiving fire from critics who say the Ortega administration is clumsily setting price controls and pushing the economy backward toward the state-controlled model that failed during the first Sandinista rule in the 1980s. Critics say Ortega's attempts to establish "fair prices" by cutting out profiteering middlemen and replacing them with state or state-affiliated institutions may be to the detriment of some Nicaraguan cooperatives. There's been growing concern over the push to bring agricultural production and trade under the umbrella of the state food bank ENABAS. But for Ortega, ENABAS is helping local producers by eliminating profit-seeking middlemen. "Commercializing agents seek to profit by selling fertilizers at higher prices to campesinos. They don't come with fertilizer with the objective of helping producers." Corea, who helped coordinate Ortega's Hambre Cero program before going to work for Nicaraocoop six months ago, said he's tired of talk about a return to the 1980s. When he worked for the Hambre Cero program -- which is scheduled to benefit 75,000 families by 2010 -- Corea used to deliver a package of goods to rural families to help jump-start productivity. The package included a pregnant cow, a pregnant pig, five gallons of fertilizer, a rooster, and seeds for animal feed. "The idea is that they begin to produce cows, milk, so we can feed a population in which a third of the people are malnourished." For Corea, that's the basic concept of the Sandinistas' agrarian revolution under the banner of 21st century socialism -- hardly something to be afraid of. Source: Nica Times |
| Virgin Islands Delegate Highlights Healthcare Gap |
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"As discussions about health care reform continue, it will be essential to ensure that health disparity elimination be an integral component of -- and not an accessory to -- those discussions. I, therefore, look forward to health care reform that exists upon a foundation that includes HR 3014 -- the Health Equity and Accountability Act," said US Virgin Islands Delegate to Congress, Donna Christensen, Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus Health Braintrust and the only African-American physician currently serving in Congress. Christensen was participating in a hearing on issues related to health disparities, particularly in areas of access to health care, held by the House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee.
"This bill would improve data collection, accountability, cultural and linguistic competence and workforce diversity, in addition to health care services and access," she said. "We stand proud and firm behind this bill because it will bolster every aspect of the nation's health care system and will improve the health, health care and thus life opportunities of all Americans." Chaired by Congressman Pete Stark, the subcommittee heard testimony from Members of the Congressional Tri-Caucus, which is comprised of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), and the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC). "Health disparities are a reality for our community, and we must take proactive steps to close the gaps, not just in health care coverage but also in many other aspects," said CHC chair Congressman Joe Baca (D-CA). "Cultural and linguistic competency are vital parts of our healthcare system, and we must make sure that we are preparing medical professionals that can adequately serve our communities." "Historically our nation’s health care and preventive care systems have written an iniquitous prescription to black and brown Americans," said CBC chair Congresswoman Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick (D-MI). "In order for us to build stronger communities and healthier future generations, we must work now to remove the chronic barriers to high quality and affordable health care." "As we move forward toward national health reform, we must not leave behind our most vulnerable and underserved populations," said Congresswoman Hilda Solis (D-CA), chair of the CHC Health and the Environment Task Force. "I look forward to working with my colleagues to achieve health equity and eliminate health disparities through the passage of legislation I authored, HR 3014, the Health Equity and Accountability Act." Congresswoman Madeleine Bordallo (D-GU), Chair of the CAPAC Health Care Task Force, said, "Health disparities for Asian and Pacific Islander Americans are very real, and people are suffering everyday from these disparities all across our country. As we move toward a model of universal coverage and universal care it is important that we address these disparities now." Source: Caribbean Net News |
| Healthcare Help Available But Unknown |
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It has been revealed that a wider section of the Tanzanian public is ignorant about the existence and social benefits of the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF). This assertion was made on June 30 by NHIF's Customer Relations Officer Rehani Athumani when briefing a team of parliamentarians who visited its pavilion at the ongoing 32nd Dar es Salaam International Trade Fair.
To address that weakness, the Fund, in collaboration with local authorities, is planning to conduct nationwide public awareness campaigns at the grassroots level with a view to making the Fund much more familiar to all stakeholders. Intended campaigns were mentioned by the officer as a rejoinder to a question asked by the Health and Social Welfare Minister Professor David Mwakyusa relating to the Fund's plans to ensure the majority of Tanzanians understand its social and economic role. "It's true, Honorable Minister, we`re facing a challenge of making ourselves better known to the public," he said, "and as proposed solution to this problem, plans are underway to ensure intensive awareness campaigns are conducted aimed at educating people about socio-economic benefits of the Fund." Awareness gigs would aim at informing Tanzanians all over the country about the services provided by NHIF and the benefits to which its members are entitled. According to Rehani, the envisaged awareness campaign would enable the Fund to attain its goal of extending health services to 45% of Tanzanians by 2015. Since its effective launch in July 2001 as a first attempt towards defining a national safety net mechanism, the NHIF has been instrumental in reducing the public health sector's funding burden from government budgets. Besides healthcare services it is now providing, NHIF also plans to put up two major investments, a Medical Center of Excellence and a modern Diagnostic Center, to alleviate the distress of people's having to travel long distances in or outside Tanzania in search of diagnostic services. The centers would be built up in Dodoma, a place considered more strategic due to its central location. "The total investment costs for the two projects and other technical matters are currently on the drawing board," said Rehani, "and the exact figures will be known later." Upon their completion, the two projects would be leased to competent managers, leaving the Fund free to concentrate on its core activities. Source: Guardian |
| Home-Improving Girls Get Coveted Awards |
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In describing the social services it provides homeless and low-income families, Bucks County Housing Group (BCHG) says, "it is a matter of simple human dignity to have an acceptable place to call home, food to eat, and hope for the future." A trio of local Girl Scouts -- Samantha Rooney, Jessica Piergiovanni and Sarah Walter, who recently completed 10th grade at Plymouth Whitemarsh High School -- have gained new appreciation for that concept when they completed a variety of improvement projects at BCHG. The three 16-year-olds belong to Troop 7893 in Lafayette Hill, and their work was a key component in their successful attempt to earn scouting's coveted Silver Award.
Samantha cleaned and refurbished BCHG's community room. "I added decorative touches throughout the room, made a chair cover for a stuffed chair, sewed curtains and pillows, painted and stenciled a storage cabinet and made framed artwork to brighten up the walls." All of which left her feeling "a great deal of accomplishment." Jessica revamped BCHG's food pantry. "I reorganized the shelves, made food labels to help keep the food organized, ... made wooden storage bins and painted them, made curtains for the windows to brighten up the room and pantry curtains to cover the excess foods and ... gave the whole room a good cleaning," she says. "It always feels good to give back to the community and help those in need." Sarah calls her role in the BCHG improvements -- refurbishing, reorganizing and decorating its children's playroom -- "the most rewarding experience of my life." "Part of my project was to assist my friends with their projects as well," she says. "For my project, I was able to learn how to sew, ... to make curtains for the playroom, ... as well as sort and organize by age groups the hundreds of books in their children's library to make it more child-friendly and easy to use. I also cleaned and organized the toys and had a toy drive to provide the BCHG with some new toys for the playroom." Along the way, Sarah continues, "I learned so much about my community and myself. I will take this experience with me for the rest of my life." Source: Norristown Times Herald |
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